12.13.2010

Last week a friend and I put together 15 small door prizes for our Church Christmas Party. Many of the ideas came from this link--103 Neighbor Gift Ideas, but the platter is my friends original idea. Now keep in mind that some of the prizes (like the platter) were chosen simply to get a laugh and entertain the crowd, but your neighbors and friends might find them to be entertaining too!

You can find the printable tags we used at Jones Design Company. There are several colors and designs.

{Muffin mix} You're gettin' 'MUFFIN' for Christmas!

{Rootbeer} We're 'ROOTING' for you to have a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year!

{Candle(s)} May your days be happy, your heart be light, your Christmas merry and the New Year bright!

{Cows candy} Don't Have A 'COW', have a Merry Christmas!

{Microwave Popcorn} May your Holiday's be 'POPPIN'!

{Snickers Candy Bars in a Whisk} We 'WHISK' we could do more, but don't 'SNICKER', just be glad you got something!

{Calendar} Keep Chrismas in your heart the 'WHOLE YEAR' through.

{Platter} When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed and tripped on this 'platter'! Merry Christmas!

{Soda} I'd 'SODA' like to wish you a Merry Christmas!

{Strainer} We couldn't 'RESTRAIN' ourselves from wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Along with the title, I was given my pick of vinyl from her shop. Thanks Andy! If you're looking for vinyl, she has some fun choices. For more gift ideas check out the other entry's in the contest over at Poppies at Play. Andy has a contest for every week in December, so be sure to go enter.

It's your turn now, what fabulous gifts have you given that cost under $2?

I got the wrapping paper rolls from Target in the dollar section. Added a cute tag that said "May You Holidays be wrapped with Joy!" This is what I am giving out this year for my neighbor gifts. It was a hit last year so I am keeping with the idea this year.

In Reply to Kristen B: I absolutely love this idea for so many reasons! 1. The giver could deliver the gifts early in the month and not have the extra stress near Christmas, 2. The receiver could actually use it, and 3. It's very afordable for giving multiple gifts. Thanks for sharing your fabulous idea, I'm remembering this one. :)

Im loving the 'Washer and drier' combo.. haha its awesome..Funny you know how i stumble on all these wonderful pages only to find most of the are from clever LDS members.. like minded people :) thanks a heap

These are great ideas! I just featured them on my blog: http://jamespurejoy.blogspot.com/2011/10/gifts-for-aquaintances.html and the same thing here: http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/2011/10/gifts-for-aquaintances.html

*love* the tags!I do what I call the 12 days of giving and 12 days before the last day of school I send in something each day for the teachers (past and present). Some things I already have for this year: chalkboard painted thrifted mugs, chalk pens (got cheap on ebay), chalkboard painted thought bubble, bacon chocolate bars (spendy but yummy), Johnsons Buddies soap (was free with coupons), mega bottles of yummy smelling liquid soap (on clearnace and used coupon at ulta), fleece blanket with name on it (got blankets from thriftstore and bartered for embroidery service).

A nice selection of clever ideas. A few years ago I helped my grandchildren makes cards for their teachers, principal, librarian, etc. A picture of Santa on the front, inside was a pack of Big Red gum. The inside words were Merry Christmas from (the package of gum, Big Red) and me. Very thrifty to replicate in mass and the teachers etc. enjoyed.

Thanks for the great ideas! I'm definitely going to be using them for gifts this year. I featured the "washer and dryer" and the "wisk you a Merry Christmas" on my blog: http://www.organizinghomelife.com/archives/1048

A couple years ago for a teacher gift we did a 2 liter bottle of Sprite with the tag "May your days be merry and 'Sprite'" and a container of Poppycock carmel corn with a tag that said "Thanks for putting up with all the 'Poppycock'!"

I Love these ideas! Being at my job for 10yrs, it gets kind of hard to find that perfect gift for my co-workers. What a spin on gift giving. I think I'm going to be giving out alot of new washer and dryers this holiday! I might have to get me one too, wink.

To Melissa: The 'washer and dryer' poem really is so fun. I wish I knew who Joyce Ricks was, the lady who wrote it, so I could thank her for it and wonder if she knows how many have benefited from her generosity. I hope your co-workers love their new 'washer and dryers'!

Thanks so much for posting these ideas--I posted a link over at my blog, or at least the address for this post, because for some reasons the linking was not an option when I posted. In any case, these are great--thanks for sharing!

I have a secret santa gift that I always give that is super inexpensive.....I like to give a tube of chapstick and a pack of gum with a note that says, "These will be dandy when the mistletoe is handy!" And who can't use chapstick and gum??

I would be pissed if I got any of these. Not only are we on an organic gluten free, dairy free diet completely free of additive and artificial colours and flavours, but MAINLY because these 'gifts' make the giver seem very cheap and lazy.

They are a bit corny, yet perfect when you have a large group of people you would like to recognize but don't have a lot of money. I have one child in school and have 9 gifts (secretaries, teachers & specialists)I want them to know they are appreciated. There is not much useful stuff for a couple of bucks, so adding humor is great. Obviously some peoples idea of what Christmas means is a bit off.Marianne

It says at the top that these are "door prizes" at a church get together - not for your best friends or anything. Some are a bit too corny for me to consider, but some are really cute ideas. Why would anyone complain about ideas they didn't happen to like?

I don't know why it's worth complaining about either.:) I agree 100% that some of them are corny, we actually picked a few really corny ones on purpose for the door prizes. We drew names and passed the prizes out in-between silly Christmas lip sync numbers, so they fit the program really well. There are gifts/prizes here that I would give to someone as a 'thinking of you' at Christmas gift, but there are several that I wouldn't choose to use. They made some great inexpensive prizes though! :)

I made a dry erase board for my husband for our anniversary...you take a picture frame and dry erase markers...The picture frame I got at Walmart for 95 cents, it was cheap, but was a nice frame, took some scrapbook paper that I already had on hand, and the dry erase markers were a set of 2 for less than $2.

I really like some of the ideas. I could use Premium Hot chocolate, Dove chocolates or Lindor truffles or Rochets in the whisk, a bit nicer platter, nicer candles, etc. Very usable ideas and thanks for sharing!

To Elle: That would be nice! We had a total budget of $20 to buy all of these prizes so we had to keep them simple and inexpensive but with a little more cash I agree, these ideas would make a great base to build on.

Thank you for sharing these cute ideas. We're doing Secret Santa at work and our "little" gifts have a limit of $2-$3, so these ideas are perfect. The rhymes that go along with some of them make them more thoughtful too. :) I'm also glad I read through the comments...great extra ideas! And...I will be thankful this Thanksgiving that I do not have to be on an organic, gluten free, dairy free diet, completely free of additive and artificial colours and flavours...because I can totally do without it making me feel grouchy and rude.

THANK YOU....I'm grateful for all of the ideas! i have searched for hours for gifts that I can give to my friends and loved ones ( aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) that cost under a couple of dollars at most, but that are made with love, thought, and humor. Love the washer and dryer and hot chocolate ideas, wrapping paper too!

**thankyou to the individuals that were negative and rude as well.....I wish you a Merry Christmas and hope you get everything you want, need and deserve!

The one thing I love more than giving, is a good play on words! This is a win/win for all!! Thank you for sharing the great ideas. My office and neighborhood thanks you too! (They just don't it yet...)

I'm with the other anonymous comment or - how awful! Your giving me generic grocery items? Wrapped in tacky plastic? At LEAST Go to enough effort to put it in a jar to make it look cute instead of just a box of brownies. Or maybe even, I don't know - bake them? Maybe as gag gifts at a white elephant it would work, but if this was a legit gift exchange - no way! There are more creative things to do with two dollars than to re- wrap junk food.

To Anonymous: You must have missed where I mentioned that these were small Door Prizes put together on a $15 budget for a Church Christmas Dinner and yes some of them are pretty silly. The brownies weren't baked so that the family receiving them could make them when it was convenient for them, maybe past the Holidays when they weren't already receiving so many treats. We tried to buy as many things as we could so that more families could 'win'. Young children really love to receive gifts, even if they are small and not beautifully packaged. I'd love to hear your creative ideas on gifts under $2. Maybe we can use them next time. :)

Super fun, cute and creative! To all those people leaving negative comments....Why bother? It seems like such a waste of your time and of everyone else's time! If you don't like the ideas then move on and find something you do like. Christmas isn't all about who can give the best gift, it is about sharing joy with loved ones and friends! I feel sorry for those of you who have forgotten that! Janet, you have done a wonderful job and I love your ideas! As you stated yourself, some of them are a bit corny, but some of them are really cute! People just need to learn to appreciate joy, humor and the fact that someone even cares enough to give a gift! Kudos to you for being so creative!

I love these ideas! They are just what I needed. I'll be using all of your ideas for prizes at our office Christmas party. The gifts don't have to be cheap. Depending on your budget, you can use the same idea. I'm giving the muffin mix & the brownie mix with a baking pan, a beautiful xmas candle with a candle holder. I don't know why anyone would knock your ideas, they're great. Thank you.

To myshelss: You're welcome. :) I LOVE the idea of giving Spring bulbs! I've been thinking about a tag idea...what about using a quote from the Secret Garden and relating it to Christ's miracles? “And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles.” ― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Thank you for sharing these wonderful ideas! I too am in the midst of Secret Santa and have a daily budget of $1-$2 for 5 days. It's not the amount of money spent on the gift, it's the thought behind it. Fortunately, my friends, neighbors and coworkers all have a great sense of humor and will find the sayings hysterical!

I think all of your ideas are very creative and refreshing from the generic gifts that could be given with much less effort it shows that the gift was at least pre-planned if the receiver doesnt at least smile upon receiving them they are too materialistic and dont understand the true meaning of christmas!!

My husband loves muffin mixes. I'm now going to do the muffin for Christmas one as an add-on gift. I like to bake from scratch and "healthify" my muffins, so he'll be pleased.At Joann's they have nice scented peppermint (and itaher holiday scents) pump handsoaps for 5 for $5. Nope, I can't think of a pun for it.

These ideas were great! I'm planning on sending my sister a box of gifts to open each day for fifty days leading up to her 50th birthday. (What did I get myself into?!) Each gift must be $1.00 or under. I can't wait to send these! Dollar Tree here I come!

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